Bandits have abducted 50 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped while on a reconciliation mission to meet a notorious bandit kingpin identified as Jammo, who operates from Muntsira Forest in Maradun LGA.
According to reports, the elders had gone to negotiate with the bandits after repeated restrictions on residents’ access to markets and rising insecurity in the area.
The councillor representing Magami/Faru ward, Bello Husseini, said the community sent a 50-man committee to meet the bandit leader, but the mission turned tragic when the group was held hostage.
He said the bandit kingpin later released 11 persons, while others remained in captivity.
Husseini also claimed that Jammo is demanding ₦24 million over three rifles allegedly seized during earlier clashes involving local security operatives.
Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident, saying the reconciliation move was carried out without the approval of the local or state government.
Dosara said Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration remains opposed to reconciliation with bandits, stressing that such groups cannot be trusted.